United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Africa’s Global Bank, has launched a simplified instant account opening digital platform designed to make banking faster, more accessible, and truly borderless for customers across Africa and in the diaspora.

The new platform enables prospective customers to begin and complete their account opening journey fully online, eliminating the traditional barriers of paperwork and initial branch visits. With this innovation, UBA continues to strengthen its leadership in digital banking and financial inclusion across the continent.

A Seamless, Fully Digital Experience:

Through the new platform, customers can start their onboarding journey via the web by simply selecting their preferred language and country. The process is accessible on computers, tablets, and smartphones, ensuring a consistent and user-friendly experience across devices.

The platform supports both Naira and Diaspora account openings, offering multi-language options that reflect UBA’s diverse customer base and pan-African footprint.

Built on Trust, Privacy, and Compliance:

In line with UBA’s commitment to global best practices, the Instant Account Opening platform is fully aligned with applicable privacy and data protection regulations, including the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This ensures strong data privacy, enhanced customer confidence, and a robust legal framework for international and diaspora customers.

Bridging Traditional Banking and Fintech Convenience

Unlike traditional commercial bank onboarding processes, which often require physical branch visits, paper documentation, and in-person biometric capture, UBA’s new platform allows customers to initiate and complete onboarding digitally. Customers can upload required documents, complete digital KYC, and enroll in UBA’s digital channels immediately.

At the same time, the platform matches the speed and convenience customers have come to expect from fintechs, while retaining the strength, security, and regulatory depth of a leading African bank.

How It Works:
Opening an account on the platform is simple and intuitive:

Visit aop.ubagroup.com
Click Open a Savings Account and select Get Started
Enter your BVN and complete facial verification
Confirm the OTP sent to your registered phone number
Provide and update personal details
Upload required documents and add a digital signature
Receive your account number instantly

Shamsideen Fashola, Group Head, Retail and Digital Banking, noted that with this launch, UBA reinforces its mission to leverage technology to democratize access to financial services, combining convenience, compliance, speed, and accessibility in one seamless platform.

“At UBA, we are committed to redefining the customer experience through innovation and simplicity. Our new Instant Account Opening platform reflects this commitment by removing traditional barriers and making it easy for anyone — whether on the continent or in the diaspora — to open an account in minutes. This fully digital solution underscores our belief that banking should be accessible, secure, and truly borderless,” Shamsideen said

Alero Ladipo, Group Head, Brand, Marketing, and Corporate Communication, said: “We understand that today’s customers expect speed, convenience, and compliance without compromise. With this platform, we have blended industry-leading digital onboarding with robust privacy and regulatory standards, ensuring that our retail customers enjoy a seamless account opening experience that matches global best practices.”

United Bank for Africa operates in 20 African countries, as well as the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and the United Arab Emirates. The bank provides retail, commercial, and institutional banking services and is a leader in financial inclusion and technology-driven banking solutions. UBA is one of the largest employers in the African financial sector, with 30,000 employees across the Group and more than 50 million customers globally

Nigeria’s foreign exchange (FX) reserves rose to $46 billion on January 22, representing the highest in about eight years.

The current record is the highest since August 27, 2018, according to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The data showed that the foreign reserves increased steadily by 0.99 percent or $450 million year-to-date, from $45.56 billion reported on January 1 to $46.01 billion on January 22.

Further checks showed that the FX reserves figure was $45.98 billion on January 21.

According to the CBN, FX reserves are assets held by a monetary authority in foreign currencies, used to back liabilities and influence monetary policy.

On December 22, 2025, the apex bank projected that the country’s external reserves would rise to $51.04 billion in 2026, saying the increase will be supported by FX reforms.

“Reforms in the foreign exchange market are expected to sustain exchange rate stability, while external reserves are projected to increase to US$51.04 billion,” CBN said.

The apex bank noted that the positive outlook builds on gains recorded in 2025, when Nigeria posted a balance of payments surplus of $5.8 billion, supported by a rise in external reserves to an estimated $45.01 billion, from $40.19 billion in 2024.

On December 4, 2025, Olayemi Cardoso, the CBN governor, said the external reserves gains reflect renewed confidence in the economy and improved stability in the foreign exchange market.

As part of its Food Bank and Giving Back drive, the bank impacted over 100,000 individuals in the communities with essential items and cash gifts, between November 2025 and January 2026, to alleviate the financial strain associated with the end of the year and beginning of the new year, underscoring the bank and Foundation’s unwavering commitment to fostering hope, and resilience among individuals living within the communities where it operates.

In Nigeria for instance, UBA Foundation’s outreach extended to beneficiaries across all the regions of the country, impacting homes, and IDP camps including the Daughter of Mercy Mother of Mary Orphanage Home in Abia; the Trinitarian Foundation for Orphans and the Helpless in Ebonyi; The Destitute Home Okobaba in Lagos; Oyiza Orphanage and Foster Foundation in Oyo; Itsoghena Orphanage Home in Edo; Enoima Children Home in Akwa Ibom; Yekope Orphanage in Kogi; IDP Camps in Niger and Borno; UMCN Orphanage Home in Taraba; Kebbi Children’s Home; and the Orphanage Home in Dutse, Jigawa.

In Africa, UBA Foundation’s humanitarian efforts and nutritional support were also replicated in the Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Congo DRC, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, where several hundreds of thousands were also impacted.

The Managing Director/CEO, UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, who visited some of the orphanages including the Destitute Home Okobaba, Lagos where she distributed non-perishable food items and school materials to adults and students alike, emphasised the foundation’s belief in impacting lives all-year round, to create lasting effect and touch the lives of people in all areas, regardless of location and economic barriers.

She said, “At UBA Foundation, we believe that true development begins with compassion and action. Through our various Food Bank and Giving Back initiatives, we are not only providing nourishment and essential support but also restoring hope and creating pathways for children and families to learn, grow, and thrive. This is our commitment to Africa: to show up consistently, act responsibly, and leave no community behind.”

Explaining further, she said, “Our various interventions aim to support people by equipping them not only with the right tools but also with the essential nourishment required for cognitive development and physical well-being.”

The foundation has a long-standing tradition of philanthropy, with numerous initiatives across Africa, including the National Essay Competition, The Read Africa Project, Tree Planting for Sustainability, Health Outreaches, Each1 Teach 1, Kindness Connect, Food Bank, and others, aimed at empowering the underprivileged and poverty alleviation.

UBA Foundation, the CSR arm of the UBA Group, is committed to the socio-economic betterment of the communities in which the bank operates, focusing on development in the areas of education, environment, economic empowerment, and special projects.